Jules Simon

Jules Simon (31 December 1814-8 June 1896) was Prime Minister of France from 12 December 1876 to 17 May 1877, succeeding Jules Dufaure and preceding Albert de Broglie. He was affiliated with the Moderate Republicans.

Biography
Jules Simon was born in Lorient, Brittany, France on 31 December 1814, and he chaired the philosophy department at the University of Paris and worked as an editor before being elected to the National Assembly in 1848, affiliating himself with the conservative Moderate Republicans. His refusal to swear allegiance to Napoleon III led to his dismissal from his professorship, and he returned to politics in 1871 as the deputy for Marne. As Education Minister under Adolphe Thiers, Simon advocated for free primary education while also seeking to conciliate the Catholic clergy; he remained in that position until 1873. He was despised by the monarchist right for his opposition to the restoration of the monarchy and by the left due to his moderate views, but, in 1876, the "resolutely republican and resolutely conservative" Simon was invited to form a government by President Patrice de MacMahon. In 1877, MacMahon forced him to resign after coming to believe that he could no longer control the parliament, causing a political crisis which led to MacMahon's own downfall. Simon went on to join the Opportunists in opposition to the radical Leon Gambetta, and he died in 1896 at the age of 81.